Cooperation with States: ESA Section 6 Program
Overview | Agreements | Grants | Contacts
Overview
Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) provides a mechanism for cooperation between NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and States in the conservation of threatened, endangered, and candidate species.
Under section 6, NMFS is authorized to enter into agreements with any State that establishes and maintains an "adequate and active" program for the conservation of endangered and threatened species. Once a State enters into such an agreement, NMFS is authorized to assist in, and provide Federal funding for, implementation of the State's conservation program.
Federal funding, provided in the form of grants, can be used to support management, research, monitoring and outreach projects that have direct conservation benefits for listed species, recently de-listed species, and candidate species that reside within that State.
Agreements
Cooperative conservation partnerships between NMFS and States can be formalized by entering into agreements pursuant to section 6 of the ESA. The following States, through their appropriate state agencies, currently hold section 6 agreements with NMFS (year effective noted in parentheses):
- Alabama (2010)
- Alaska (2009)
- California (2009)
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (2009)
- Delaware (2007)
- Florida (2003)
- Georgia (1990)
- Hawaii (2006)
- Louisiana (2009)
- Maine (2005)
- Maryland (1998)
- Massachusetts (1996)
- Mississippi (2009)
- New Jersey (2004)
- New York (1992)
- North Carolina (2000)
- Oregon (2009)
- Puerto Rico (2003)
- South Carolina (1984)
- Texas (2009)
- U.S. Virgin Islands (2003)
- Virginia (2009)
- Washington (2008)
Contacts
Lisa Manning Heather Coll Amanda Johnson Karla Reece | Alison Agness Melissa Neuman David Nichols Aleria Jensen |